Joshua Wong was born in Hong Kong less than one year before China took back control of the city from the United Kingdom. While the handover was peaceful, Hong Kong's citizens lost their right to fully democratic elections. Joshua's leadership as an activist came to international attention in 2014, during pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. The protest became known as the Umbrella Movement. Although Joshua and his student organization called Scholarism promoted peaceful protest, he was jailed for his participation. Undiscouraged, Joshua continues to advocate for full and free elections in Hong Kong. He has been the subject of a documentary called Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower, and has been recognized for his work with many awards including TIME magazine's 25 Most Influential Teens.
